The Detroit Tigers have shown interest in recent Cuban defectors Rusney Castillo, Yasmany Tomas and still-unsigned prospect Yoan Moncada. And they are making some changes in the Dominican Republic to ensure that they thoroughly scout the next wave.

WINDERMERE, Fla. It begins with a home run. And a celebration.
With the score tied at one in the bottom of the 12th inning on a late-summer afternoon, Prince Fielder turns on a flat split-fingered fastball from San Francisco's Merkin Valdez and sends a...

Chicago White Sox shortstop Alexei Ramirez and center fielder Adam Eaton were named finalists for the Rawlings Gold Glove Award at their positions in the American League on Thursday.
Ramirez joins the Orioles’ J.J. Hardy and the Royals’...

As he transitioned back into a relief role for the American League Division Series, Orioles right-hander Kevin Gausman said he was ready for whatever role manager Buck Showalter had in store for him.
Gausman was called to make his postseason debut in...

National anthem: Soprano Chelsea Buyalos provided the second straight operatic anthem of the postseason.
Ceremonial first pitch: Orioles vice president of baseball operations Brady Anderson, an American League Division Series hero in his playing career,...

An announced sellout crowd formed a sea of orange throughout the seating bowl of Camden Yards -- waving orange rally towels that said “Welcome to October” -- ready for the return of postseason baseball to Baltimore.
After nearly two weeks of essentially meaningless games since wrapping up the American League East title, the switch suddenly turned onto the bright playoff stage. The Orioles aren't content with just being in the postseason. They're aiming for the franchise's first World...

Player introductions begin at 5:15: Predictably, biggest ovations for Buck Showalter, Nick Markakis, Adam Jones and Nelson Cruz.
First ball ceremony: Interesting first ball ceremony. Manny Machado, who was lost for the season with a knee injury in August, throws ceremonial first pitch to Matt Wieters, who missed five months of the season with an elbow injury.
National Anthem: Rolando Sanz delivers terrific rendition. Shockingly, fans shout "O!" at just the right moment. The sellout crowd follows...

The Orioles came into the American League Division Series knowing they couldn't match the Detroit Tigers ace for ace.
No single Oriole could comfortably compare resumes with Detroit's Game 1 starter, Max Scherzer, the 2013 AL Cy Young Award winner.
But as they have all season, the Orioles found a less traditional way to outduel flashier talent. Two first-time postseason performers, starter Chris Tillman and reliever Andrew Miller, combined to produce a better line than Scherzer before the Orioles blew...

The Orioles will only have two lefties in their bullpen for the American League Division Series that starts tonight at 5:37 p.m. against the Detroit Tigers, and Ubaldo Jimenez is a surprise addition to the roster.
The Tigers don’t have many left-handed bench options, so Orioles manager Buck Showalter apparently felt he’d rather have an extra right-hander that can provide some length in Jimenez.
Infielder Jimmy Paredes made the cut. Outfielder/baserunning specialist Quintin Berry didn&...

Breaking down the American League Division Series matchup between the Orioles and Tigers, which begins Thursday at Camden Yards:
How they got here
Tigers: They had to scratch and claw to win their fourth straight American League Central title. The Tigers were 90-72 this season and didn’t secure the division until they won Sunday. They may have the most formidable rotation in baseball, with the last three AL Cy Young Award winners. Their offense isn’t shabby either, with the specter of two-...

The summary
The Tigers scored six unanswered runs after the fifth inning Wednesday to cruise to a 6-1 victory over the White Sox at Comerica Park.
The spurt started when Sox left-hander Chris Sale hit Victor Martinez with a pitch in the sixth inning and Martinez scored on Nick Castellanos' sacrifice fly to tie the game 1-1. Ian Kinsler hit the go-ahead RBI double off Sox reliever Javy Guerra in the seventh inning.
At the plate
The Sox had seven hits off starter Justin Verlander over eight innings....